


In The Garden of Shadows

by alphatoothless



Category: Gravity Falls, Reverse Falls - Fandom
Genre: A!RF, Alternate Universe - Reverse Falls, Angst with a soft ending, M/M, Mentions of Murder, fnaf au, mentions of gore
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-06
Updated: 2018-08-05
Packaged: 2019-06-22 13:37:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,095
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15583146
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alphatoothless/pseuds/alphatoothless
Summary: When children begin disappearing from a local restaurant, a night guard is quick to try and solve the mystery.When Dipper Gleeful’s husband mysteriously disappears after his night shift at the local kid’s restaurant, he’s quick to jump on the search.He just hopes he can survive the night long enough to avenge his fallen love.





	1. Can’t Wait To Meet You

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, everyone! As you all know, I have been fairly absent due to classes and my ability to write just becoming completely nonexistent, but I’m finally back! I’m finishing a few mini fics, but this is the fic I’ve been working on the past few days.   
> I’m so happy to see everyone’s comments on my fics! You all are my motivation and I can’t tell you all enough how much your comments mean to me. Thank you all for sticking with me and I hope I can start filling the willdip tag back up again. I missed willdip tremendously and I’m hoping to get back into the groove of writing again!   
> I hope you all enjoy this little fic!

Dipper squinted as he walked into the musky room, scrunching his nose as he leaned over to flip on one of the older switches. The lights flickered on, a painful moan erupting from the aged fluorescent lights, before several old creatures were illuminated in the dull light. He adjusted the security hat over his hair, something he hadn’t been happy to learn was part of the unusually new uniform, before he walked up to one of the beasts. He looked into the dull, worn eyes of the blue lion animatronic with curiosity. It stared back at him, appearing to be completely lifeless - at the moment, anyway. Why these things had been given the capability of free-roaming, or even how, by their previous owner was beyond him. It only made the entire situation far worse since the apparent accidents. 

He scrunched his nose at the pungent smell in the room, and the odd stains that littered the beast’s fur. The beasts around the room were dusty and forgotten, much like the childhood he’d long forgotten about. He thought he’d be able to feel something in this room, but apparently he still had some time to go until the internal alarm would ring these beasts alive. 

He remembered this place being far more attractive when he was a child. Now? It seemed like something from a worn nightmare. 

A part of him wished he could clean this beast in particular, having been one of his favorite characters when he was younger, but that wasn’t why he was here. He glanced around at the others, seeing weird trolls that had scared him even when he was a kid, several worn bears, a few stuffed chickens, torn up bunnies, a strange pirate fox, a variation of every animatronic that had ever had run of the restaurant back then was here. 

And most were covered in dust. Dipper frowned. 

He could also only do so much without catching the attention of the cameras, if the day guard even actually looked them over. Somehow, with the phone calls he often received from the jovial man, he doubted it. The only reason they’d learned anything was because they’d blown the dust off the tapes themselves to review them. He wondered if the man even cared about the missing night guards. 

Something creaked, forcing his attention back to the blue lion before him. Nothing seemed out of place, but a chill ran down his spine regardless. Something in him weighed when he stared into the beast’s eyes, as if he were looking at an old...

He pursed his lips before turning to leave the room. His plan to study these apparent “killer” creatures had come into effect, but something continued to leave him weary. Something about the place, with its new and old animatronics, left him anxious. Mabel had assured him that his magic would easily protect him, but something told him the force behind this was far more dark than he’d initially suspected. A part of him felt a familiar presence, something long forgotten, leaving him determined. 

He turns the lights off in the room and closes the door behind him, making note to lock it. He takes the hat off, running a hand through his hair before tossing the hat to a folded table in the corner. He feels his pocket vibrate before he pulls his phone out.

“How’s the shift going?” 

“Quiet.”

“Give it an hour.” Mabel states with a yawn, leaving Dipper even more uneasy. “They said the footage from the tapes show the guards disappearing about an hour into the nights at random intervals.” 

“Did they ever say where they went?” He asks evenly, unwilling to give his growing fear away to his sister. 

“The cameras apparently don’t reach where they go.” Mabel hums. “You’ll be fine, brother dearest. Just pay attention to the details. You’re there for a reason, remember?”

“That’s awfully easy for you to say, isn’t it?” Dipper flinches when he hears a noise behind him. His eyes focus on the rattling of the door before it quickly stops. His heart drops. “It appears to have already begun.” 

“I’ll be watching through the cameras, brother. Remember, they don’t know you can defend yourself.”

“I have a good feeling my magic won’t protect me from whatever these beasts are running on.” 

“I guess we’ll see, won’t we?”

And with that, the line goes dead. Dipper slips his phone into his pocket, annoyed with his sister’s words. He knows she believes in his abilities, there was never a reason to doubt it, but he knows something is wrong here.

Horribly wrong. 

The room is silent again. He quickly makes his way into the guard’s office through the dark. His eyes flicker over the monitors, gritting his teeth when animatronics are already scattered across the screens. The blue lion, in particular, is staring at the camera from across the room. 

He stares back at the screen, his heart thumping hard in his chest. A part of him rests heavy in his chest. His heart aches. He wants to truly believe it’s possible, that the blue lion was who he truly hoped it was, but he had a feeling he’d have a hard time uncovering what had happened - and why. 

He hears the door rattle, forcing his attention to the guard office door. His hair is standing on the back of his neck as he grabs his flashlight, his heartbeat pounding in his ears as he flashes his light at the beast standing in the door. It’s the blue lion, staring at him. Its mouth is slackened open, revealing an unusual amount of teeth - both metal and felt. However, it’s the strange push of magic against his own, that familiar warmth that makes Dipper’s entire body ache. 

“...Will?” Dipper whispers, watching the animatronic remain lifeless at the door. 

The blue lion shifts, each gear squeaking as its face moves to stare at Dipper further - as if it were studying him. Dipper’s heart aches more, watching the light behind felt eyes glow. 

And then his flashlight goes out. 

He curses, snapping his fingers to create a blue flame, hurt filling his chest when the blue lion is suddenly gone. He clenches his jaw, closing the guard door once more. He feels his phone vibrate in his pocket and he quickly picks it up.

“Mabel, it’s Will.”

“I know.” Mabel’s voice sounds grim. 

“I-I don’t know what to do.” Dipper’s voice cracks as he looks at the monitors, unsurprised to see the blue lion absent from them. “He knows me, Mabel. I think he recognized me. That was him. I know it.” 

“The animatronics are usually fairly regular in their schedules of attempting to get to the night guard. That blue lion doesn’t approach the guard office until usually a good three hours in.” Dipper could hear tapping of the keyboard over the phone. “And he most certainly wouldn’t leave you alone just like that.” 

“I - I need to go find him. Mabel, that - that was Will. That was him.” 

“Dipper, you know as well as I do that you can’t roam the restaurant by yourself. There are too many of those beasts that can outnumber you in minutes of you being out of that office. If that is Will, then he will come for you again. But there’s no telling what those other animatronics will do to you.” 

Dipper flipped the office desk light on, his lips pursed. 

“Dipper, we know he’s here. Now we need to find out what happened. That is why we’re here.”

“He’s here because someone killed him, Mabel. We already know how these animatronics are alive.” Dipper’s voice was dripping with venom. “Someone killed him and - did this - to him.” 

“Dipper, calm down.” Mabel’s voice is stern then. “We’re here to catch the killer. You must keep your wits about you.”

Dipper clenched his fist, his nails digging into his palm. 

“The killer comes after the night guard, along with the animatronics. We don’t know if it’s the killer who gets to the night guards first or the animatronics themselves. They could be working together for all we know.” 

“You’re right.” Dipper grits out. 

“The night guards disappear four hours in. You’re only an hour in. Stick to the mission, brother.” 

And with that, the call went dead. Dipper shoved his phone in his pocket. He glanced at the door once more, the image of the blue lion staring at him burned in his mind.


	2. You’ve Fought The Nightmares

“Will, do you have to go in tonight?” Dipper had whined, his arms wrapped around his husband’s torso as the other yawned and sat up in bed.

“Darling, you know I have to go to work.” Will looked at him with playful eyes, his smile always that adorable little grin that made Dipper’s heart flutter. “I can’t sit around the house while you make all the money.”

“I work so you don’t have to.” Dipper whined again, tightening his arms around the other’s torso. “Besides, I miss you. I hate when you work these nightshifts.” 

“I know, but someone has to do it.”

“You always say that.” Dipper watched his husband’s mouth move into an oddly tight line. “Babe?”

Will turned to him then, that concerned frown gone as quick as it had come. 

“Sorry. This is just something I have to do.” Will leaned forward to kiss Dipper on the cheek as he got up off the bed. 

“You act like it’s this dangerous job.” Dipper teased, scooting to sit at the edge of the bed. “Being the night guard of a bunch of old animatronics - a truly risky career choice.”

Will’s eyes flashed with something, though of what, Dipper couldn’t decipher. He reached out, regret forming a lump in his throat. Will leaned back, allowing Dipper’s arms to surround him once more.

“I’m sorry. I was just playing.”

“I know.” Will smiled softly, in that same forgiving look he always gave his husband. 

Dipper had never understood the seriousness of Will’s newfound job. His husband rarely spoke of it, but by the fourth night, he’d noticed his husband going eerily quiet about his job. He never mentioned much about the night job and Dipper always assumed Will hated it, but never wanted to bother him about complaining over a job he didn’t need. That’s just how Will was. 

Now, Dipper wished he’d made him quit earlier. 

It was when Will had suddenly disappeared that night, on the fifth night, that made Dipper fearful. The boy didn’t return the next morning, leaving Dipper to go to the restaurant that morning. No one had seen the night guard, nor had the tapes showed anything particularly unusual - according to the day guard. The car was no longer in the lot, and no traces of Will had been found anywhere in the building. 

Dipper had demanded a Police investigation, which also turned them empty handed from the restaurant. As far as everyone was concerned, Will had disappeared without a trace. Mabel had been sympathetic, but Dipper hadn’t given up. A month later, with several research articles of missing night guards, Dipper had applied for the dreaded position. With no one lined up behind him, he got it easily. 

Of course, the day guard didn’t recognize him. The man rambled about how the animatronics tended to glitch, but to use the tools to his caution. Dipper had stolen tapes during one of the interview processes, taking it back to Mabel, who quickly reviewed them with him. 

That’s when they saw Will disappear, along with every other night guard. 

Dipper hadn’t known how the animatronics came to life, much less where the bodies were hidden, but he’d heard rumors from local conspiracy theorists that the bodies were stuffed into the animatronics themselves. Dipper didn’t know where he’d start with locating Will, but he knew this needed to be stopped. 

Will hadn’t been the only one missing in this restaurant - a slew of children and night guards before him increased the death count into disturbing numbers that the community chose to ignore. Dipper was determined to find his husband’s body - and his soul - as well as putting an end to the murders. He didn’t care if it had taken him down in the process, he wanted revenge. 

Which was why he was now watching the monitors of the restaurant, watching animatronics gradually make their way to his office. The blue lion continued to evade him and the monitors, which was odd, seeing as it was usually the first to move into the camera screen, but the last to approach the night guard in the tapes. 

It had to be Will. It just had to be. He could sense Will’s powers - that distant feeling of magic that they shared when they’d been together. That was his lost love. 

A part of him yearned to search for the lion, despite knowing the other animatronics could easily kill him in the process - leaving his entire purpose of being here void. But he yearned for his love, feeling that horrid loneliness consume his heart once more. He flicked the light on in time to see a fox in the air duct, staring at him. He blinked. 

“I’m not here to hurt you.” Dipper watched the animatronic stare back at him blankly. “I want to find who did this to you.” 

The fox just remained motionless before the light failed and the fox was gone once the light had returned. He frowned, turning to the monitors. It was almost the fourth hour in now, leaving Dipper antsy. He needed to be on full alert. There was no telling when the murderer would come - but he was ready. He watched the door carefully, his grip on the desk tight. 

Nothing happened. He grit his teeth when the alarm rang. Impossible.

He slammed his fist into the table, rage overwhelming him. 

Mabel called, soothing him slightly.

“It’s only first night, brother. Each of the night guards survived the first night. It’s very possible it may happen tomorrow.” 

“I don’t have time for this waiting game, sister.” Dipper snarled.

“You have to be patient, brother.” Mabel’s voice was sympathetic, but Dipper stormed out of the guard’s office, searching for the blue lion animatronic. 

It stood in the storage office, surrounded by others that had remained lifeless throughout the night. Dipper stared at it, tears welling up in his eyes as dread overwhelmed him. 

“Oh god, Will.” Dipper fell to his knees, holding the worn animatronic’s hands. He sobbed against the lifeless being, unaware of the slow movements of the other animatronics around him, staring at him. 

The lion’s head slowly shifted to stare down at Dipper, its eyes glowing as it watched the boy come undone beneath him. The other animatronics looked at him, with the little fox tilting its head, and the other larger creatures opening their jaws slightly. The lion watched in still silence as Dipper sniffled and wiped his face. 

This was the first night guard that...seemed so familiar. 

He tried to remember where this man seemed so familiar from. Something in him stirred, a strange feeling he had long forgotten, every time he looked at him. 

Something he’d missed. 

Eventually, the night guard left. Promising to be back tonight. The door closed behind him, leaving them all in the dark. The other animatronics’ eyes stared at him, their glowing pinpoint eyes watching him. 

He blinked, looking down at his worn hands. Some of his fur had been torn off, from age, revealing the metallic parts beneath the fluff. Foggy memories tried to force themselves to the surface of his mind, but they were so unclear. 

All he knew was...somehow that guard knew him. Somehow...that guard seemed so familiar.

His name...was Will. Will. William.

The memory comes forward, a faded memory of his past. 

His name was William Cipher. 

He can’t remember anything beyond that, but it’s a start. He works on trying to remember the night guard as the restaurant fills with day workers.


	3. So Join The Animatronic Family

Will had discovered something back then that had left him nauseous. It had taken several stressful nights, running from rogue animatronics that seemed less friendly than their exteriors seemed. He didn’t understand them, or why they acted the way they did, until he’d stumbled onto a sight he’d never in his entire life wanted to see. 

The blood on the floor by the animatronics, the unusual stench that wafted from some of the unused beasts, the missing children and guards now laying in a pile in the back of the restaurant - he had traced it all back to one person who had turned to look at him with a wicked grin. He stood in front of the animatronics, their curious killer antics suddenly seen as misunderstood attempts to make him leave before he’d see this, as the killer stood before him. 

The man just smirked at him, his eyes filled with monstrous intent, as Will clenched his teeth. He wouldn’t let this go on any further - no other child would ever face this man again. He grabbed his flashlight, ready to fight. Rage pumped through his veins as he heard the animatronics behind him shift and watch. 

The beasts had stood behind him, some cowering while others seemed to push him forward in silent confidence that he’d do something, as the man stood before them. 

The next thing Will knew, however, was that he’d been met with darkness and a horrifying amount of pain. He doesn’t remember the fight and he doesn’t remember losing. He knows he screamed, but nothing had come out, leaving him helpless. He’d lost control of his body then. He’d lost control of everything. 

His last thought had been of his husband, who would never know what had happened. He thought of Dipper, who had told him many times to quit this job, and now because of his stubborn want to save these children from their torturous purgatory, he was now one of them. He finally allowed the darkness to consume him whole, fearful of what came next. He had a very good idea of how he would end up. 

When he woke up, he looked down at his hands, eyes adjusting to a strange new sight and weight to his body. He was surrounded by animatronics, alive and watching him curiously, some sad and some sympathetic. He curled his fingers, unsure of where he was - of who he was. He didn’t remember how he got here, but the other animatronics greeted him with squeaks and clicks of their gears as their mouths opened. 

He guessed this was his family. 

He’d done as they all did - tried to scare the night guard off in hopes he’d escape before the killer came around. Unfortunately, their efforts were often fruitless, leading to another animatronic being introduced to the restaurant. 

All until one night guard showed up. 

He couldn’t help it - when the boy had appeared before him in the storage room, looking him up and down, he could feel a blurry image try to force itself to the front of his mind. He felt something in his chest flicker from the way those cyan eyes stared at him and he was left confused and dazed. The other animatronics had immediately jumped to life when he’d left the room, surprised when he had suddenly made his way out of the room. 

It was then when he saw the boy in the guard office, it hit him hard. The boy looked at him, fear gone from his eyes. He stood, looking at him with eyes that were filled with lonely desperation. The flashlight shines on him, causing him to freeze. He can feel something strange - a form of magic that presses against his fur body, even to his soul. It’s warm, comforting. 

“...Will?”

The lights flicker off. 

He stares at the other for a moment longer before he ducks behind the wall when a soft blue light of fire illuminates the room. He can hear the hurt sigh from the night guard as he stares at the wall. 

That night guard knew him - somehow.

He knew his real name. 

The other animatronics squeak at him when people begin clocking out of the restaurant. He can see headlights of cars leaving the restaurant through the door’s cracks. He can hear keys jingle as someone locks the door, presumably the person who would be leaving said keys for the night guard later. 

He wants to see the night guard again. A part of him hopes he really does return. 

He feels something stir in him when he hears the keys of the restaurant jingle as someone walks into the restaurant. He watched the other beasts grow antsy, some peeking through the holes in the door to see if the night guard returned. 

The clicks and squeaks from the others tell him it’s exactly who he wished it to be. 

He’s the first to move to the door, hearing the night guard approach the storage room. He waits by the door, watching it open as the boy stares up at him. A part of him had feared the night guard becoming afraid, but he just stands there and looks up at him. 

“Will.” He whispers. 

He blinks, his gears shifting as the other animatronics watch them curiously. He’s unsure of these strange emotions flooding through him - faded memories trying to force their way to the surface of his mind. He reaches out hesitantly, his mechanical hands holding the guard’s shoulders. 

He remembers warmth. He remembers soft skin against his own. He remembers promises. 

His chest suddenly aches - a familiar pain runs through his body as the guard looks up at him. When he tries to speak, the only sound that comes out is a rusty groan. He’s overwhelmed then, those familiar cyan eyes looking at him like he was the world. 

He remembers that look. 

The other animatronics squeak then, the same familiar warning noise, and he looks at them. 

He needed the night guard to hide. 

He grabs the night guard then, dragging him to the back of the room behind other lifeless animatronics. The guard looks terrified then as he quietly stuffs him away. The night guard doesn’t move, just watching the other animatronics crowd around him as the door opens. They all go at a stand still immediately. 

Dipper looks at them curiously, his heart racing as he watched them all become lifeless. He hears the sound of footsteps then, his eyes wide as realization dawns in him. 

They were hiding him. 

He feels that rage suddenly claw at his chest when he sees a shadowed man walk by, his uniform similar to Dipper’s - but with various shades of purple. He can’t see his face, but his voice sounds eerily familiar. He grits his teeth, watching the shadowed man hum as he looks at the various animatronics with amusement. 

“And where are you all hiding him, hm?” The man hums. 

No beast moves, instead remaining entirely still. He can’t even hear the night guard breathing from the back of the room. 

“Come now, you all can’t hide him from me forever. I’ll find him eventually.” The man goes up to the lion, his eyes full of monstrous intent. “I know you would be happy to have your lost love with you again, wouldn’t you?” 

The man smirked when he didn’t move. 

“Oh, you still don’t remember him, do you? You poor thing.” 

The lion turned to look at the man then, his eyes glowing with a red tint. The man just chuckled, turning to look at all the beasts before leaving the room. The night guard is the first one to move, immediately getting to his feet. His eyes glow in the darkness of the room, the cyan color stunning him as the man growls lowly. 

“I’m going to kill him.” 

He’s the first to reach forward and stop the guard. He grabs his arms, jerking him back before he has a chance to walk past him. He doesn’t know this feeling - he just knows he can’t let this guard through. 

“D...ip...per...” His mind slowly clicks, the name hitting him hard. Dipper. That’s the boy’s name. 

That was his love’s name. 

The guard stops moving, turning to look at him with wide eyes. Those memories - buried for so long - suddenly overwhelm him. 

He remembers Dipper. 

He remembers meeting the boy all those years ago - the way his eyes had caught his attention the moment they settled on him. 

He remembers lost moments. When Dipper had kissed him for the first time on their second date. 

He remembers private moments. When Dipper would hold his hand in the dark of a theater, just so it would feel like it was just the two of them in the entire room. 

He remembers falling in love. 

He remembers his last moments. 

His name was Will. He was once human. He was once a night guard. 

He was murdered. 

Will stares at Dipper then. He couldn’t lose Dipper, too. He couldn’t let this boy die and stand with him, and every other lost soul, here. He immediately turns Dipper around, forcing him to remain in the room as he turns and storms his way out of the room. The other animatronics squeak at him, their gears clicking as they follow him out of the room. 

He didn’t fear the purple man anymore. 

Will knew who he was now. He knew what he could do, what he was meant to do. 

That purple man had no control over him anymore. 

The other animatronics click at him, curiosity and fear clawing at his fur as he stormed forward. The beasts tried to hold him back, their worried expressions doing little to sway Will from his search. 

Dipper was behind them, his eyes glowing in the silent rage. The purple man’s mocking voice echoed in his mind as he turned down a different hallway, heading to the guard office. 

“Brother, the man is waiting there for you.” 

“Good.” Dipper growled into his headset. “I look forward to formally meeting this bastard.” 

He opens the door to the sight of the man’s back. The other slowly turns, smirking widely at him. 

“Hello, Mason.” 

“Dipper, that’s-“ Mabel’s voice squeaked through the headset.

Dipper clenched his jaw.


	4. Try Your Best To Hold Onto Sanity

“Uncle Ford.” Dipper growled. 

The man smirked, adjusting his glasses as he looked his nephew over. Dipper hadn’t seen his great-uncle in years, not since the man had been ostracized from the family. He guessed this was exactly how he wanted to exact revenge on him - on his family - was killing both his love and, soon, him, too. 

“It’s been so long since I’ve seen you. You’ve surely grown a whole head or two.” Stanford hummed as he rubbed the scruff on his face. 

He had changed. Dipper had remembered a kinder man when he was a child - a man with soft eyes and a gentle smile. He remembered a man who loved him, who taught him, who helped him. This was a man of little sanity - the same man that had been forced out of the family for twisted acts. He snarled. 

“If you wanted to see me again, you could have just asked.” 

“You wouldn’t have come.” 

“It just took the disappearance of children and my husband?”

“For extra measure.” Stanford laughed, as if it were a fond joke, leaving Dipper bristling. “I would close that door behind you, though. You wouldn’t want us to be interrupted by those beasts, would you?”

Dipper closed the door behind him, his teeth clenched as he glared at his uncle. The man stared back at him in amusement. 

“Wouldn’t you want to join your husband in the animatronic world? This is immortality at its greatest, son. I have solved the ultimate mystery of life.” 

“You’ve slaughtered innocent children.” Dipper hissed. “Killed people just doing their jobs. For an experiment. For attention.” 

“Now, now. They weren’t murdered.” Stanford paused. “And you could have come after the first child had been turned, but you didn’t.” Stanford shrugged. “What was I to do?” 

The door rattled behind Dipper, but the guard continued to glare at Stanford. 

“You could have talked to me like a normal human being. Instead, you’ve just turned yourself into the very monster my family marked you as.”

“I’m no monster.” The man’s smile faltered. “I’ve saved these children. They will live forever in the very beasts they love. They never have to know the world beyond these cartoon characters.” 

“My husband wasn’t saved, Stanford.” Dipper’s voice was deadly. “He’s in a goddamn lion suit.” 

“He will never die.” Stanford narrowed his eyes at the guard. “He should feel honored. I made his transformation as painless as I could.” 

The door stopped rattling behind Dipper. Stanford smiled once more. It was clear the guard wasn’t budging, his eyes filled with a familiar rage as they appeared to glow in the shadows of the dark guard office. The man hummed. 

“Come, Dipper. You could be my assistant. Think about it - you could be with your love every single day. You’d never have to say goodbye.” 

“Stanford, what happened to you?” Dipper watched the man blink in surprise, staring back at him. “You used to be so different. What happened?”

Dipper watched the man frown. His eyes were lifeless, seeing the husk of a man he’d once known stand before him. Dipper could see the man furrow his eyebrows before growling.

“Nothing has happened. I’m no different.”

“You would never have done this before.” Dipper corrected. 

“I was working on this before. I had wanted to save you. I had wanted to save you and Mabel.” Stanford grit. “I found a way. That is the only difference.” 

“Stanford, do you understand what you have done?” Dipper could faintly hear movement in the air vents above them. “Do you understand the things you have done?”

“I have done nothing wrong!” The man raised his voice slightly, frustration slowly building. 

“You didn’t save anyone, Stanford.” 

“I did!” The man shouted, clenching his fists. “You don’t understand what life can do to you, Dipper. What growing old does to the mind. Suddenly things don’t add up - suddenly people begin to leave you behind! You start hearing things. You start aching. I saved these children from seeing those days! I stopped those guards from feeling it any longer!” 

Dipper could see eyes glowing in vents behind Stanford. 

“Stanford, that’s a life everyone deserves to experience. But they didn’t have to face loneliness. They didn’t have to face any of that on their own. There was another way, but you took that from them.” 

“You’ll see. You’ll face it one day, Dipper. And you’ll regret this night then, wishing you had stopped them. Stopped yourself.” 

Dipper opened his mouth, watching Stanford stand straighter. It was clear the man knew what was soon to happen. The guard didn’t say anything, instead staring at the man in anticipated silence. Stanford’s mouth was pressed into a thin line, his eyes suddenly hard. 

Dipper could see red eyes glowing from above Stanford’s shoulder. 

“Check the desk.” Stanford stated quietly, glancing at the guard desk. “Goodbye, nephew.” 

Dipper wished he could say something, but looking at Stanford, they had both accepted the fate that the man would face. A mechanical fox face leaned forward through the darkness, it’s worn face lit by the worn lamp in the guard office before Stanford was suddenly jerked back into the darkness. 

A part of Dipper had wished he could damage the man just as much - but this was no longer his fight. He cringed at the muffled screams in the air vent. He turned to the guard desk, immediately pulling various drawers open, scrambling through paperwork. 

There were various handwritten notes from the guard’s regarding the strange animatronics, some crayon drawings, presumably made by the children, and one thick envelope, neatly enclosed. Dipper lifted it, realizing it was addressed to him - his name written in neat handwriting. He opened it, pulling the papers out.

‘Dear nephew,’ Dipper pursed his lips. 

‘You’re reading this because I have probably met my demise. Enclosed are the instructions on how to free the souls in the animatronics. Only you can do so, for you are the only one who has the magic capabilities to save them. I had brought those poor beasts to life, filling the loneliness in my own heart, but perhaps I had become demented in my mental state. You, always being the good boy, probably tried to make me see the errors in my ways.’ 

Dipper heard the door rattle. 

‘Those beasts do not have a memory beyond this restaurant. They do not know who they are. This was an unfortunate consequence of transferring their souls. I had hoped that perhaps they could keep their cognitive functions, but they were unpredictable.’ 

The door opened, forcing Dipper to turn to see the blue lion. He looked horrifying then, with blood splatter running down his worn cyan blue fur. He turned back to the letter quickly. 

‘I do not know if they will ever turn on you, or anyone else. They feared me because a part of them recognized that I was the reason for the ending of their lives. I do not know how they would survive once I am gone, nor how they would react - or society - to what I’ve done.’ 

Dipper looked up at the blue lion, now standing in front of him. He watched Will look down at the paperwork. 

“Will.” Dipper whispered. 

Will clicked back at him. 

“I think it’s time we let you move on.” 

Will looked at him then, those glowing eyes fading slightly. 

“You and the others - it’s time to let you rest.” 

Will nodded once. Dipper looked back down at the paperwork. 

‘They must be shut down and helped move on.’ 

Dipper flipped the first paper.

‘I’m sorry for putting this on you, Dipper. I was wrong, and in this only moment of clarity, I had wished I had not done this. Good luck, dear nephew.’ 

He pursed his lips as he looked at the other papers. They were detailed, revealing a map of a secret storage room, various lab equipment, and various other directions. 

“Brother, you have to.” 

Dipper could feel the tears roll down his cheeks, unexpectedly. He sniffled, suddenly overwhelmed by the task. He lifted a free hand to wipe his face. He could hear animatronics surround him then, clicking and watching him. 

“I know.” Dipper swallowed as he looked around. “Show me the room.” 

Will moved then, his metal feet scraping the floor. Dipper never knew how the lion moved without anyone hearing him before, but he decided not to ask. He followed the larger beast out of the room, listening to the growing clicking and squeaking from the smaller and bigger beasts behind him. 

He reached forward, grabbing a bloody fur hand. Will turned and looked at him, his eyes somehow sad. The hand squeezed his slightly, warm and sticky. Dipper looked up at him with teary eyes. Will clicked back at him sadly. 

When they entered the room, Dipper felt nauseous. Various lab beds were everywhere, and the smell of sterility filled the room. He grimaced. 

Will looked down at him and he nodded in return. 

They were finally going to be free.


	5. We’ll Be Alright

Dipper had missed his husband. In the time Will had suddenly disappeared, he hadn’t slept. He had missed the warm gestures; he missed the way Will would calm him down. He’d almost felt that same odd dissociation from reality that he’s been told his great-uncle had experienced before he’d been ostracized - something he had feared. He was aware that it was something that could happen, that he could lose his mind, and, much like his uncle, he would lose the battle over the magic that pulsed through his veins. His sister had stood by his side throughout the whole month, helping him hone his magic to prevent a terrible disaster. She had helped him research, helped him plan, helped him understand. 

He just wanted Will to come home - more than anything he could have ever wished for in his life. He wants to hold his loved one once more, to no longer feel so alone. 

His heart was heavy as he watched the animatronic animals lay on the sterile beds, crowding each other as they sat next to each other, holding each other, as they watched Dipper with curious white eyes. Dipper frowned, reading over the directions on the paperwork carefully. Something told him Stanford wouldn’t lie about this, not after everything. He trusted the words, each one vaguely familiar to when he and Stanford had been close when he was younger, freeing possessed creatures. He looked at the animals, watching the small creatures chatter at him excitedly. 

He felt magic course through his veins as he walked forward, chanting softly as he touched the forehead of each of the robotic animals, watching their lights slowly fade before they leaned against each other when they had passed. Dipper felt tears roll down his cheeks as each animal looked at him gratefully when he stood before them, squeaking and clicking at him quietly before he’d finally put them to rest. 

And then there was Will, sitting before him by himself after he had placed each lifeless animal to the side. Dipper sniffled, watching Will sit on the lab table. The blue lion stared back at him, the blood now dried on his fur as they stared at each other. 

“Will, I missed you.” Dipper felt his throat squeeze. “So much. I thought - I thought I had lost you forever.”

Will clicked softly at him. 

“I had known something - something terrible had happened to you and I just - all I could think about was avenging you.” Dipper sniffled. “I wanted to hurt whoever had done something to you, wanting them to die a horrific death because I just - I didn’t think I could go on without you.” 

Will just watched him, his glowing eyes soft as he watched Dipper clench his jaw. The guard let out a warbled chuckle. 

“And now I have to be the one to put you down.” Dipper wipes his face again, feeling heavy tears begin to roll down his cheeks. “I love you so much, darling. And this - this is just - I just don’t know what I’m going to do without you again.” 

Will reached forward, allowing Dipper to stumble forward to close the gap between them. The guard hugged Will tight, letting himself sob as the animatronic rubbed his back gently. Hands gripped faux fur tightly as Dipper clung desperately to the larger lion. He felt Will nose his cheek softly before he finally pulled back several minutes later. Hands gently held his face, their touch somehow soft and reminiscent of the hands that used to hold him. He cried harder, holding the hands that held him. 

“G-God, I just don’t know w-what I’m going to do without you again.” Dipper repeater, his voice tight. 

Will clicked at him quietly.

“I know. I’ll be fine. You always say that.” Dipper sniffled. “You w-were always so damn s-smart.”

Will chattered at him, his eyes holding that same warm softness. He hadn’t changed - even after everything. Dipper sniffled, letting Will lift him onto his lap and hug him tight. They stood there, with Will quietly rocking Dipper back and forth in that supportive way he used to when Dipper had occasionally lost control of his magic. Dipper felt himself slowly calm down in the lion’s arms, his eyes glancing over the settled bodies of the various animatronics. He knew he couldn’t keep his love from experiencing release any longer. 

He could see the soft ethereal ghosts of glowing blue children and night guards stand around them then, their eyes sympathetic and grateful. Dipper pulled back, knowing it was time. He stepped off Will then, sliding off the table before he looked at the lion with a sad smile.

“I will miss you, love.” 

Will clicked back at him softly. Will held his hand, his glowing eyes watching Dipper gratefully. Dipper slowly began chanting the words softly before he raised his free hand to stroke the fur on the lion’s head. He watched the lion’s eyes eyes slowly fade, the grip on his hand growing weaker before the lion fell to the bed, now a lifeless husk. 

Dipper turned to see the ghostly form of his husband standing beside him, that same understanding smile directed at him. Dipper smiled a teary grin back at him.

“Goodbye, love.” Will mouthed.

“Goodbye, sweetheart.” Dipper whispered, watching Will walk toward the others with a smile. 

They all turned to Dipper, waving as they slowly dissipated. Dipper was left in the dark of the room then, his chest empty and his mind exhausted. He looked around at all the animatronics, seeing them leaned against the wall. Their eyes no longer glowed and they remained motionless. 

“Brother?”

Dipper hummed in response when his sister’s voice through the headset broke the silence. 

“Are you okay?” 

Dipper was silent, suddenly aware that he was still crying. He took a deep breath before he started walking out of the room, wiping his eyes with the clean part of his shirt. He closed the door behind him. 

“I’m okay.” 

He unbuttoned his shirt, dropping the bloodied uniform to the floor. He could hear the alarm in the guard office ring, signaling the morning had finally come. He relaxed, pushing out of the restaurant doors. It was still dark outside, the soft blue of the sky slowly shifting into the new day. 

“I’ll come pick you up.” Mabel stated quietly. “I’ll be there soon.”

“Okay.” Dipper collapsed onto the sidewalk in front of the restaurant. “See you soon.” 

The line went dead as he stared ahead, his body exhausted. His magic had been temporarily drained; his body finally aching for sleep. He watched the sun slowly rise, the dew on the grass around him leaving him empty. 

He looked to the sky with a small smile. 

It was going to be okay now. 

He remembered his husband then, how Will had told him on the day of their wedding something tender. 

“If I die,” he’d said, “know that I will always love you. No matter what happens, no matter where I go, I will always love you.” 

“I will always love you, too.” Dipper states aloud, watching his sister pull up. 

“Always.”


End file.
